The Populate feature for importing rosters has been updated in v3.3.
August 2009: excel grade sheet v3.3
Eric Kennedy
Arizona State University
First Year Mathematics Seminar
Tempe, AZ
Friday September 19, 2008
abstract:
This is a repeat of the seminar held last spring. In the talk we will discuss the setup required to host Virtual Office Hours, and then explore the functionalities available in the online environment.
Eric Kennedy
Arizona State University
First Year Mathematics Seminar
Tempe, AZ
Wednesday April 16, 2008
abstract:
From IMs to avatars, iPhones to iPods, today’s youth are more tech savvy than ever before. As these students become more reliant on technology to mediate their interactions with others (email, cell phones, text messages, MySpace), educators must devise new ways to reach their audience. In August 2007, I started offering Virtual Office Hours for my MAT 142 Online students using a program called Adobe Connect. This program, which is licensed through ASU, allows for a fully interactive virtual environment. Student questions, which are typed in an instant messaging-style window, are answered both verbally (using a microphone) and visually (using a webcam). Customizable windows allow instructors to share files, poll students, send private messages, and manage the attendees. Furthermore, sessions can be recorded and made available to those who were unable to attend. While designed originally as a platform for businesses to host online meetings, I have found the program to also be an excellent tool for online Q&A sessions with students. After the successful implementation last fall, the Adobe Connect software is now being piloted by the entire MAT 142 Online team.
In this talk we will discuss the setup required to host Virtual Office Hours, and then explore the functionalities available in the online environment.
October 2008: excel grade sheet v3.2 The "Create Posted" sorting feature has been fixed in v3.2.
January 2008: excel grade sheet v3.1 The import feature has been updated to the new PeopleSoft format.
February 2007: excel grade sheet v2.5
Eric Kennedy
Arizona State University
First Year Mathematics Seminar
Tempe, AZ
Wednesday February 28, 2007
abstract:
Over the past year additional improvements in layout and coding have been implemented that make grade calculation even easier than before. Once the class roster is pasted onto the info tab, a single click of a button loads the data into the sheet. After a few adjustments of the control panel to set course-specific weights and cutoffs, the spreadsheet is ready for use. The overall design allows for custom tailoring with little to no knowledge of Excel, as everything is automated, from adding new assignments to posting grades according to “posting IDs.” Grades are tabulated and statistics are calculated automatically. A customizable color system allows for simple and effective performance analysis both at the individual and class levels.
This sheet is ideal for those who have yet to create an extensive grade-analysis layout, and helpful to those interested in gathering ideas for their own design. The talk will focus on spreadsheet setup and customization, with brief discussions of underlying functionality should interest exist.
Eric Kennedy
Arizona State University
First Year Mathematics Seminar
Tempe, AZ
Wednesday March 1, 2006
abstract:
My last talk focused on how we can use color to visually assess student grades. The spreadsheet that was introduced included a number of intermediate Excel functions and formulas that were difficult to manipulate without a moderate ability to navigate within the program. This first version has undergone a number of key revisions since last year. Most notably, it has been designed so that any teacher can tailor it to their needs with little to no knowledge of Excel. A number of more advanced features have been utilized to make tabulating grades, determining statistics, and analyzing performance both quick and easy. The majority of the talk will be spent discussing how to setup the spreadsheet for a given class. The underlying functions can be discussed per audience request and as time allows.
Eric Kennedy
Arizona State University
MAA/AMS Joint Mathematics Meeting
San Antonio, TX
Saturday January 14, 2006
abstract:
The talk will discuss methods to facilitate the student’s acquisition of quantitative literacy in a freshman-level College Mathematics curriculum. The goal is to empower the student to be critical, understand and take charge of our their conclusions when faced with the numbers they are confronted with daily. Some of the activities presented will have evolved from scenarios as seen in CNN.com or Time magazine. Others have been designed to simply capture the student’s imagination or motivate them to think mathematically. Vocabulary is stressed, literacy is mandated. Mathematics is like any other language and the student needs to be taught how to be fluent. We live in a world punctuated with numbers, thus the goal of the talk is to teach the student how to be numerate, critical in their view of the numbers that confront them and confident in their ability to interpret, react and enjoy the understanding of the meanings behind the numbers.
Eric Kennedy
Arizona State University
First Year Mathematics Seminar
Tempe, AZ
Wednesday March 2, 2005
abstract:
The human brain has difficulty interpreting vast arrays of numbers; this is why we rely on averages, medians, variances, maximums, and the like to gauge overall classroom performance. Unfortunately, these statistics do not allow us to easily evaluate the performance of each individual. Did they do poorly on a couple of tests? Have they failed to achieve high marks on a number of homework assignments? Such an evaluation involves trudging through the array of raw data, which is both slow and tedious. An excellent strategy for coping with large data sets is to represent them visually. Borrowing the general strategy applied to microarray analysis, I have developed an Excel spreadsheet that uses color to distinguish between acceptable, borderline, and failing scores on individual assignments. Introducing color allows the user to instantly identify struggling students, quickly pinpoint causes for a low overall grade, and evaluate the difficulty of any given assignment. Additional features of the grade spreadsheet include: tracking missed assignments and absences, assigning letter grades on a +/- scale, counting the number of students who score below a set % on each assignment, and calculating the % needed on remaining work in order to pass the course. The majority of the time will be spent discussing the various features of the spreadsheet itself. I will briefly discuss some intermediate Excel concepts such as conditional formatting, formula building, and cell manipulation so that the template can be further customized.